DES MOINES – Sen. Chuck Grassley is bringing national and state anti-human trafficking experts together for an Iowa-based forum on ending human trafficking and modern slavery. The discussion is intended to be a guide for medical professionals, first responders and the public at large in recognizing and combating trafficking.
The event will take place Friday, August 26, 2016 from 1:30-2:30 at the Des Moines University Student Education Center Auditorium.
As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Grassley helped to lead the bipartisan Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act through the legislative process on its way to becoming law. The effort establishes strong anti-trafficking measures that target predators who traffic innocent young people. Earlier this year, Grassley also held a hearing on the new law to keep tabs on the executive branch’s implementation of the bill.
Experts from Iowa as well as national organizations dedicated to ending human trafficking will participate. Panelists include Stephen O’Meara, Nebraska’s Human Trafficking Coordinator and former Iowa assistant U.S. attorney; Cathy O’Keefe, director of Quad Cities-based Braking Traffik; Staca Shahen, Case Analysis Division director for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; and Anna Brewer, former FBI special agent with expertise in Iowa human trafficking cases. The event will be moderated by Yasmin Vafa of Rights4Girls.
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